02122021 first india ahmedabad (1)

‘Raj should pay Narmada water dues to Guj first’
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: The
state government has
takenthethreatfromRa-
jasthanWaterResources
Minister Mahendrajeet
Singh Malviya to stop
water release from Mahi
Bajaj Dam to Gujarat
very seriously
. On
Wednesday
, it demanded
that the neighbouring
state pay the outstand-
ing dues of Rs564 crore
for Narmada water that
it owes to Gujarat.
Education Minister
andgovernmentspokes-
person Jitu Vaghani
said, “Before making
any such statements,
the Rajasthan govern-
ment should bear in
mind that, as per the de-
cision of Narmada Wa-
ters Dispute Tribunal,
Gujarat is releasing 0.50
million acre feet of Nar-
mada water into Ra-
jasthan. Turn to P6
(L to R) Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Chief Principal Secretary to CM K Kailashnathan, Chief
Secretary Pankaj Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary to CM Pankaj Joshi Secretary to CM Avantika
Singh Aulakh reviewing progress of flagship projects on Wednesday.
Taking cognizance
of threat to stop
Mahi Bajaj Dam
waters into state,
govt has asked for
payment from
neighbouring state
CM TO REVIEW
FLAGSHIP
PROJECTS
Chief Minister Bhupen-
dra Patel has decided to
stay on top of progress
made on flagship pro-
jects such as Vadnagar
inclusive development
project, Dharoi Dam
area development and
tourism project, shelter
homes in urban areas,
diamond bourse and
DREAM city in Surat. He
will conduct reviews on
the first Wednesday of
every month.
There is no UPA now:
Didi’s barb at Cong post
meet with Sharad Pawar
Mumbai: Declaring
that “there is no UPA
now” and it will be
“very easy to defeat the
BJP” if “all regional
parties are together”,
Trinamool Congress
leader and West Bengal
Chief Minister Mama-
ta Banerjee took a
swipe at Congress lead-
er Rahul Gandhi on
Wednesday when she
said “you can’t be
abroad most of the
time”. Banerjee met
NCP chief Sharad Pa-
war in Mumbai and
they spoke to the media
after the meeting.
DEFEATING BJP WITHOUT
CONG A DREAM,WARNS KC
New Delhi: Congress General
Secretary KC Venugopal re-
plied to Mamata’s comments
saying “defeating BJP without
Congress is merely a dream”.
“Everybody knows the reality
of Indian politics. Thinking
that without Congress any-
body can defeat BJP is merely
a dream,” said Venugopal.
CM Mamata and Sharad Pawar.
ELGAAR CASE
Bombay HC allows Sudha
Bharadwaj’s default bail plea
Mumbai: The Bombay
High Court Wednesday
granted default bail to
lawyer-activist Sudha
Bharadwaj, an accused
in the Elgaar Parishad
case, but rejected the
pleas of eight others
who had applied for bail
on similar grounds.
A Bench of Justices
SS Shinde and NJ Jama-
dardirectedthatBharad-
waj, who is lodged in
Mumbai’s Byculla wom-
en’s prison, be produced
before the Special NIA
Court here on December
8, for the conditions of
her bail and date of her
release to be decided.
Sudha Bharadwaj
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia I facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia
AHMEDABAD l THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2021 l Pages 12 l 3.00 RNI NO. GUJENG/2019/79050 l Vol 3 l Issue No. 8
OUR EDITIONS: JAIPUR, AHMEDABAD, LUCKNOW NEW DELHI
Sensex jumped 619.9 points to close at 56,684.
Meanwhile, Nifty ended the session 183.7
points higher at 17,166. Broader markets also
advanced. The BSE mid-cap and small-cap
indices ended with marginal profits.
Comedian Kunal Kamra on Wednesday
said that his shows scheduled in Ben-
galuru over the next 20 days have been
cancelled over seating requirements to
venues shutting down forever threats.
The country saw heaviest rainfall in Novem-
ber, the highest in five years, IMD said. It
reported most of rains in south that claimed
44 lives in Andhra Pradesh, 16 in Tamil Nadu,
15 in Karnataka and three in Kerala.
SENSEX ENDS
620 POINTS
HIGHER, NIFTY
AT 17,166
NOW, KAMRA’S
BENGALURU SHOWS
CANCELLED AFTER
SECURITY THREATS
645 HEAVY, 168
VERY HEAVY RAIN
IN NOV, MOST IN
FIVE YEARS: IMD
Omicron puts India’s
plans to resume int’l
flights on backburner
New Delhi: India may
not resume scheduled
commercial interna-
tional flights December
15 onwards, as planned
earlier, in light of the
evolving situation per-
taining to the Omicron
variant of Covid-19.
In an order Wednes-
day
,theDirectorateGen-
eral of Civil Aviation
(DGCA) said: “In view
of the evolving global
scenario with the emer-
gence of new variants
of concern, the situa-
tion is being watched
closely in consultation
with all stakeholders
and an appropriate deci-
sionindicatingtheeffec-
tive date of resumption
of scheduled commer-
cial international pas-
senger services shall be
notified in due course”.
A senior DGCA offi-
cial confirmed that this
means, as of now, the
December 15 date is be-
ing kept in abeyance.
FOUR FLIERS FROM
‘AT-RISK’ COUNTRIES
TEST +VE IN DELHI
New Delhi: In the wake of
the threat posed by corona-
virus variant Omicron, four
international passengers
— three from Amsterdam
in the Netherlands and
one from London — who
arrived at Delhi’s IGI Airport
from ‘at-risk countries’ early
on Wednesday tested posi-
tive for Covid-19 and have
been sent to hospitals for
quarantine and treatment,
said officials. Three arrived
from Amsterdam and one
from London.
PCR TEST MUST FOR
ANYONE LANDING AT
MUMBAI AIRPORT
Mumbai: Those flying
to Mumbai must have
a negative RT-PCR test
taken within 72 hours of
the flight, say new rules
spurred by the Omicron
variant. Maharashtra’s 7-day
institutional quarantine for
fliers from at-risk countries
has been deferred by two
days. In exceptional cases
like family distress, says
the statement, testing may
be allowed on arrival at the
Mumbai airport, said the
airport officials.
CORONA CATASTROPHE
SKIES UNLIKELY TO OPEN ON DECEMBER 15
INDIA GUJARAT
45
new cases
01
new fatalities
8,954
new cases
267
new fatalities
Int’l passengers subject
to random COVID
sampling can leave
airport after giving
samples: MoCA
‘This is not the way’
LOK SABHA SPEAKER OM BIRLA SLAMS
OPPOSITION FOR CREATING RUCKUS IN HOUSE
New Delhi: On a day
Lok Sabha functioned
without any major dis-
ruption, Speaker Om
Birla took strong excep-
tion to sloganeering by
a small group of Telan-
gana Rashtra Samithi
MPs who have been de-
manding that the Cen-
tre introduce a uniform
procurement policy and
procure paddy from
their state.
The House also wit-
nessed heated ex-
changes between the
nine TRS members
and a Congress MP
from the state, Uttam
Kumar Reddy, who al-
leged that the TRS gov-
ernment took no step
to procure the Kharif
season paddy.
“Members of Parlia-
ment who are protest-
ing here should go
back and tell their
Chief Minister (K
Chandrasekar Rao) to
buy the paddy now,”
Reddy said, triggering
protests by the TRS
members.
Earlier, the Speaker
criticised the MPs for
their protests in the
Well of the House. Birla
Wednesday said pro-
ceedings cannot take
place normally when
some members disturb
the entire House. P5
You are a
member of the
House. Senior
members are speaking
and you are waving
placards in front of
them. Go back to your
seats. Proceedings can’t
take place normally
when some members
disturb the entire House.
—Om Birla to TRS MPs
BILL CANCELLING THREE
FARM LAWS GETS
PRESIDENTIAL SIGN-OFF
New Delhi: President Ram
Nath Kovind has signed a bill
to cancel three controversial
farm laws, against which
farmers - especially from
Haryana, Punjab and western
Uttar Pradesh - have been
protesting for a year. The bill
to cancel the three farm laws
was passed in record time in
Parliament on Monday.
CLIMATE CHANGE HORROR
Brands like Nike, Zara, MS, Puma
linked to using deforestation leather,
largest contributors to Brazilian
Amazon rainforest destruction
The pastures for cattle account for 63% of deforestation on Amazon
Forest in Brazil where leather industry thrives at the cost of nature.
LEATHER
SWAG KNOCKS
AMAZON FOREST DOWN
Mohd Fahad
ew research has shed
light on the negative
contribution of fast
fashion brands and de-
sign houses to the destruction
of the environment. The study
by STAND.earth named the
many brands which are at high
risk of contributing to the larg-
est scale deforestation in the
Amazon rainforest owing to
their links with leather suppli-
ers and tanneries.
HOW LEATHER IS LINKED
TO DEFORESTATION

z Due to its significant cattle herd,
Brazil is a key source of global
RAWHIDE (ANIMAL SKIN THAT HAS
NOT BEEN EXPOSED TO TANNING), and
a significant number of leather articles
originate from animals raised in Brazil

z The recent rise in Amazonian
deforestation means that it is likely
that more cattle will be raised on
deforested land in the future

z HIDES USED IN THE LEATHER
INDUSTRY CAN ORIGINATE FROM
ANIMALS REARED IN DEFORESTED
REGIONS OF THE AMAZON BIOME,
WHICH MEANS MORE AND MORE
LAND WILL BE DEFORESTED TO
CREATE PASTURES FOR CATTLE

z If rates of deforestation continue
to rise, it is likely that organisations
involved in the leather industry may
begin to face a growing pressure to
assure customers, investors, and non-
government organisations that their
products are not linked to deforestation
N
All companies sourcing directly from JBS
(largest beef/leather company in Brazil) or
indirectly from JBS via leather processors are
therefore linked to deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.
—THE REPORT STATES
AMAZONIAN
DEFORESTATION
HAS BEEN
IDENTIFIED AS THE
MOST SIGNIFICANT
CONTRIBUTOR TO
GLOBAL WARMING
IN THE WORLD
RESEARCH
BASIS
5,00,000ROWS
OF CUSTOM DATA
16.5MM ACRES OF
FORESTS LOST
10YEARS TIME TAKEN
FOR WIDESCALE DAMAGE
100+SHOE AND
FASHION BRANDS
HAND IN GLOVE!
200MN BRAZIL’S
CATTLE POPULATION
70MILLION LOCATED
IN AMAZON BIOME
Other
2%
Fire
9%
Small-scale
12%
Pasture
63%
Selective
Logging
6%
Plantations
1%
Crops
7%

First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: Wintery
weather is about to be
exacerbated by unsea-
sonal rainfall in the
state over the next cou-
ple of days. A total of 96
talukas across the state
witnessed unseasonal
rainfall between 6 am to
2 pm on Wednesday, as
per a report of the State
Emergency Operation
Centre (SEOC). These
showers are likely to
bring down the temper-
atures across Gujarat.
Three talukas name-
ly Umerpada and Kam-
rej in Surat district and
Khambha in Amreli
district witnessed over
20 mm of rainfall dur-
ing the same period.
As per India Meteoro-
logical Department
(IMD) forecast, districts
of the South Gujarat re-
gion namely Surat,
Tapi, Navsari, Dang,
and Valsad are likely to
witness heavy to very
heavy rainfall at isolat-
ed places over the next
couple of days. Other
districts namely Sabar-
kantha, Aravalli, Ma-
hisagar, Dahod, Chhota
Udepur, Narmada,
Bharuch, Vadodara,
Anand, Junagadh, Am-
reli, Bhavnagar, and
Gir Somnath will wit-
ness heavy downpour at
isolated places on De-
cember 02.
A trough system at
mean sea level is run-
ning from cyclonic cir-
culation over the
southeast and adjoin-
ing east and the central
Arabian Sea to Kutch
across the northeast
Arabian Sea and ex-
tends up to 1.5 km above
mean sea level. Also, a
western disturbance as
a trough in mid and up-
per tropospheric west-
erlies with an axis at 5.8
km above mean sea
level has been running
roughly. An interac-
tion between the two
systems is responsible
for unseasonal rainfall
likely in the state.
NEWS
AHMEDABAD | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2021
02
RAINLASHES96TALUKASINGUJARAT
IMD has forecast downpour in Surat, Tapi,
Sabarkantha, Aravalli, Mahisagar, Dahod, Vadodara,
Anand, Amreli, Gir Somnath other dists today
W
ashing hands
off the re-
sponsibility of
paying farmers com-
pensation for damage
to produce in market
yards, state Agricul-
ture Minister Raghavji
Patel on Wednesday
said, “Market yards
should pay compen-
sation to farmers
for crop damage on
their premises, due to
unseasonal rains.” He
added that the “state
had no responsibility
for harvest damaged
at market yards.” Patel
also stated that despite
advisories from the
Met department and
himself, Bhavnagar
market yard had not
taken any measures to
protect the onion and
groundnut harvest.
Ramsinh Gohil, a
farmer from Ratanpur,
claimed that his onion
harvest was damaged.
“It will now fetch me an
amount 40 to 50% low-
er than the market price.
I will incur loss of two
to three lakh rupees,” he
said. Similarly, in Rajkot
market yards, more
than 50,000 sacks of
groundnuts were lying
in the open, and only
after local media raised
the issue, the market
yard management
committee arranged
for plastic covers to
protect them.
There were a few mar-
ket yards in the state
that had taken precau-
tions and advised farm-
ers not to bring crops
into the yard. Junagadh
market yard was one of
them, said P S Gajera,
Secretary, Junagadh
market yard.
MARKET YARDS FAIL TO PROTECT
FARMERS’ HARVEST
Unseasonal rainfall
witnessed in Ahmedabad and
Bhavnagar on Wednesday.
Soaked sacks
of groundnut at
Bhavnagar market yard.
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Congress
members from Manjal-
pur assembly constit-
uency in the city held
a protest in view of
mosquito menace
plaguing local resi-
dents near the Masiya
stormwater drain
passing in vicinity of
Lalbaug, on Wednes-
day. They demanded
that the Vadodara Mu-
nicipal Corporation
(VMC) look into the
matter. Vadodara city
Congress Vice Presi-
dent Vinod Shah even
performed shir-
shasana at the spot to
highlight the issue.
Opposition party
members chanted slo-
gans against the corpo-
ration for not listening
to their demands.
Armed with banners
such as, ‘Yoga with
Mosquitoes’, ‘Cover
Masiya Stormwater
Drain’, protestors sent
a clear message to local
authorities.
“Due to lack of
cleaning of the storm-
water drain, the area
is plagued by mosqui-
toes and that has put
the health of nearby
residents at risk. The
menace has also been
experienced by people
coming to the nearby
garden. Our council-
lors represented the
matter to the corpora-
tion several times in
the past but the prob-
lem has not been recti-
fied. We demand quick
resolution of the is-
sue,” said Neela Shah,
President, Vadodara
City Congress.
Young leaders are
in India for a
cultural and
democratic
exchange
programme
hosted by ICCR
First India Bureau
Vadodara: Young lead-
ers from across the
world visited Vadodara
as part of Gen-Next De-
mocracy Network pro-
gramme hosted by the
Indian Council for Cul-
tural Exchange (ICCR).
The delegation visited
Maharaja Sayajirao
University of Baroda‘s
(MSU) Faculty of Per-
forming Arts for an en-
riching experience of
the country’s rich cul-
ture. The highlight of
the evening was a drum
performance by Rhoda
Crawford, youngest
member of parliament
from Jamaica.
Delegates from Bhu-
tan, Jamaica, Malay-
sia, Poland, Sri Lanka,
Sweden, Tanzania and
Uzbekistan are in India
to witness the func-
tioning of Indian de-
mocracy and culture
by visiting different
states and cities.
“It is an effort to
spread the knowledge
about India’s democ-
racy and culture to
other countries
through this delega-
tion. After visiting
Delhi, Agra, Lucknow
and Varanasi, the del-
egation has been in Gu-
jarat since November
28. They visited the
historical Faculty of
Performing Arts on
November 30 and expe-
rienced our rich cul-
ture and heritage. This
is their first visit here
and we are privileged
to welcome them,” said
Jigar Inamdar, Region-
al Director, ICCR.
After her drum solo
performance, Jamaica
MP Rhonda Crawford
said, “I enjoyed the cul-
tural programme at the
Faculty of Performing
Arts. I have won sever-
al medals in drumming
and dramatics so this
has been a great even-
ing for me. I have al-
ways wanted to visit
India, and have been
enjoying its rich cul-
tural experience.”
V’DARACONGPULLSUPVMC
FORMOSQUITOMENACE
Members of Manjalpur constituency chant slogans, demand
closure of Masiya stormwater drain due to health risk
Foreign delegates visit MSU
Faculty of Performing Arts
Vadodara city Cong VP Vinod Shah performing shirshasana at the protest. Jamaican MP Rhonda Crawford during her drum solo performance.
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: A del-
egation led by IAS of-
ficer Anju Sharma,
Principal Secretary,
Labour and Employ-
ment Department, will
virtually interact and
engage with foreign in-
vestors, entrepre-
neurs, and key mem-
bers of the Indian dias-
pora, as part of the in-
ternational road show
ahead of the Vibrant
Gujarat Global Sum-
mit (VGGS) 2022.
Speaking about the
upcoming virtual road
show, Sharma said,
“We look forward to
welcoming trade and
business delegates
from Japan and South
Korea to VGGS 2022.
We will be showcasing
significant business
opportunities to be ex-
plored in key indus-
tries such as green mo-
bility, clean energy,
sustainable agricul-
ture, smart infrastruc-
ture, mitigating cli-
mate change, among
others.”
Japan and South Ko-
rea have strong trade
relations with Gujarat,
and both countries
have continued in-
creasing their indus-
trial presence signifi-
cantly across the state.
Over the years, re-
nowned brands from
both countries such as
Hitachi, Suzuki, Hon-
da and Panasonic of
Japan and Kukdo
Chemicals, Hyundai
Rotem, Songwon from
South Korea have es-
tablished manufactur-
ing facilities in Guja-
rat. The VGGS 2022
Summit provides
stakeholders from Ja-
pan and South Korea
the right platform to
further explore the op-
portunities Gujarat of-
fers to them.
Meanwhile, Chief
Minister Bhupendra
Patel, inaugurated the
five-day ENGIMACH
2021, one of India’s
most acclaimed engi-
neering, machine
tools, and automation
exhibitions in Gandhi-
nagar, on Wednesday.
Over 500 exhibitors
will take part in the
show and more than
80,000 visitors from
across the world are
expected to attend.
ROAD TO FUTURE
VGGS TO OFFER SUSTAINABLE AGRO,
SMART INFRA TO FOREIGN PLAYERS
Indian delegation will interact
with Japanese, Korean business
investors, entrepreneurs at
upcoming international road show
IAS Anju Sharma, Principal Secy, Labour Employment dept.

GUJARAT
03
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: In a bid
to encourage citizens
to get fully vaccinated
against COVID-19, the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation has come
up with a lucky draw
scheme. On Wednes-
day, the civic body an-
nounced that the win-
ner, who gets injected
with the second dose of
vaccine, will receive a
smartphone worth
Rs60,000.
Those who take their
second jabs of vaccine
between December 01
and 07 will be eligible
for the scheme and one
winner will be declared
through the lucky
draw, said AMC in a
statement.
The civic body has
from time-to-time come
up with schemes to in-
centivize people eligi-
ble for it, to take their
second dose of vaccine,
in order to achieve the
target of 100% inocula-
tion. Earlier, it had dis-
tributed one litre pack-
ets of edible oil to thou-
sands of beneficiaries,
especially belonging to
slum areas in the city.
So far, 78.7 lakh peo-
ple have received vac-
cine doses in the city,
including 47.7 lakh
people who have taken
the first dose and 31.0
lakh who have taken
both the jabs, the
AMC’s health depart-
ment said.
Those who have not
taken even a single
dose of vaccine and
those due for the sec-
ond dose will be pro-
hibited from entering
public areas, such as
gardens, zoo and muse-
ums, as well as private
residential and com-
mercial areas.
With effect from
Wednesday, the civic
body has also restrict-
ed the entry of such
people to the urban/
community health
centres and hospitals
run by it.
The AMC has set up
points at the entrances
of all its health centres
and hospitals to check
the status of COVID-19
vaccination of visi-
tors. If a visitor (ex-
cept a patient) is due
for the vaccine dose,
he/she will be given
the shot at the centre
before being allowed to
enter the premises.
Even patients, suf-
fering from other ill-
nesses, who are due for
COVID-19 vaccination,
will be counselled to
take the jabs after re-
covery and their vac-
cination status will be
recorded in their medi-
cal case papers.
AMC offers ‘lucky draw’ to incentivize COVID-19 vaccination
‘PHONE FOR JAB’
Thosewhogetjabbedwithseconddose
between Dec 01 07 will be eligible to
receive a smartphone worth `60K
293
11 MAX
CASES IN
A’BAD
ACTIVE
CASES
8,17,134
26 RECOVERED
IN A DAY
10,093
TOTAL DEATHS
01 DEATHS
IN A DAY
8,27,520
TOTAL CASES
45 CASES
IN A DAY
TOTAL DEATHS
COVID-19 UPDATE
TOTAL
RECOVERED
Only first 25 citizens who get the 2nd vaccine shot will be eligible
for the lucky draw. —FILE PHOTO
A’bad DCB nabs
duo for stealing
temple cash, gold
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad: The
city Detection of
Crime Branch offi-
cials have arrested
two brothers-in-law
for stealing cash and
gold ornaments from
temples located
across the state.
Goldsmiths by pro-
fession originally,
Atul and Bharat Soni
turned to a life of
crime after their
businesses failed
and real estate bro-
kerage led to bank-
ruptcy
.
According to re-
ports, the duo start-
ed stealing cash and
gold from temples on
roadsides to make
ends meet.
Ahmedabad DCB of-
ficials apprehended
them near Chamun-
da Bridge and seized
stolen gold orna-
ments from them.
With a shop in Ba-
punagar and another
in New Naroda are-
as, the brothers’
businesses were ad-
versely impacted due
to the lockdown last
year. In order to sur-
vive, they started a
real estate brokerage
business, which led
them to heavy debt
and bankruptcy.
With no other oppor-
tunity coming their
way, they decided to
start stealing gold
ornaments and cash
from temples. They
are believed to have
burgled around 16
temples in
Ahmedabad, Amre-
li, Gariyadhar, Man-
sa, Viramgam, San-
and, Dholka and
other places, said an
official.
They used to tar-
get temples located
on roadsides after
conducting a recce
of the surrounding
area and assessment
of the gold orna-
ments and cash flow
in the temple. Then,
they pulled off the
burglary when no
one was around in
the afternoon. Being
goldsmiths, they
were both aware
that they would be
caught if they sold
the ornaments in
their original form.
So, they used their
trade to melt and sell
them as gold.
Accused Atul and Bharat Soni in DCB custody.
In one of the swiftest trials, Vijay Thakor found guilty by Gandhinagar court in 11 days
LIFE IMPRISONMENT FOR RAPIST,
KILLER OF THREE-YEAR-OLD
First India Bureau
Gandhinagar: S N
Solanki, Additional Dis-
trict Sessions Judge
(Special POCSO court),
has found accused Vijay
Thakor guilty in the
rape and murder of a
three-year-old in Satej
village on November 04.
This is one of the fastest
rape and murder ver-
dictseverdelivered,said
sources.Whileannounc-
ingthelifeterm(impris-
onment until death)
quantumof punishment
on Wednesday
, the court
observed that the ac-
cused does not deserve
sympathy as the victim
was a toddler, who was
unable to defend herself.
The accused kid-
napped the girl from her
hut in the middle of the
night and took her to an
isolated location where
he raped her. When the
toddler did not stop
screaming due to pain,
Thakor strangled and
dumped her body in a
pond on the outskirts of
the village. The crime
was committed on No-
vember 04, and a com-
plaint was filed on No-
vember 05.
The police arrested
Vijay on November 07
and filed a 500-page
charge sheet the next
day
. According to public
prosecutor Sunil Pan-
dya,theprosecutionper-
suaded the court based
on circumstantial and
forensic evidence of
blood spots, mud sam-
ples collected from the
crime scene. The shoes
of the accused matched
with the prints found in
the mud, CCTV footage,
andThakor’ssemenwas
found on the victim’s
garment. The court
heard 60 witnesses over
the course of the 11-day
trial. The prosecution
cited 13 decisions and
submitted 66 pages of
arguments.
During the final ar-
gument, the public
prosecutor stated that
the accused is a psycho-
path, and that he has
not only raped but also
murdered a child. He
added that during the
investigation, Thakor
also admitted to raping
two other minor girls.
As a result, the crime
should be treated as the
rarest of rare cases, and
the accused should be
executed by hanging, he
said. Even if he is re-
leased on bail, he is still
capable of committing
such crimes.
GST dept uncovers bogus
bills scam worth `5K cr
First India Bureau
Surat: The Goods and
Services Tax (GST) was
introduced to make
lives of traders easier
but, an investigative
team has uncovered
fraudof fakebillsworth
Rs5,000 crore to evade
tax in the past two
years.
Small traders in-
volved in textile, dia-
mond and chemical in-
dustries have been tak-
ing advantage of loop-
holes in the GST system
for tax evasion. The in-
vestigation wing of the
GST department has
discovered that with
the help of fake bills,
traders have claimed
more than Rs500 crore
of input tax. Officials
have managed to recov-
er Rs125 crore from the
total amount so far. The
department has nabbed
bogus bills worth
Rs3,500 crore in the
year 2020-21 and Rs1,500
crore in the present
year. Traders who sold
bogus bills to others by
forming dummy ven-
tures earned two per-
cent commission on the
total bill amount. On
investigation, officials
found that they had
used IDs and address
proofs of labourers by
giving them a small
amount of money.
Then, they used those
bills to claim input
credit from the govern-
ment.
Sources said, “The
traders involved in tex-
tile, scrap and yarn
made the most money
from the fraud bill-
ings. Surat being the
hub of textile was the
first choice for fraud-
sters. After the scam,
the GST department
has become very strict
in giving out GST num-
bers. Now, officials
send a team to each
spot to get the place
verified first.”
AMC lays off 200
medical, paramedical
staffers overnight
First India Bureau
Ahmedabad:Inashock-
ing move, the
Ahmedabad Municipal
Corporation’s (AMC)
medical department
firedaround200medical
andparamedicalstaffers
overnight on Tuesday
evening.Retrenchedem-
ployees staged a massive
protest at the Arogya
Bhavan,thecity’shealth
department office, on
Wednesday morning.
According to the laid
off employees, the an-
nouncement was made
at the last minute and
they were not given
enough time to look for
another job. In a letter
sent to them by the med-
ical officer, all staffers,
who were appointed as
part-time medical offic-
ers, laboratory techni-
cians, pharmacists, and
paramedics,tohelpwith
the COVID-19 relief ef-
fort, were to be suspend-
ed immediately
.
It cited decline in
COVID-19 cases as the
reason for their dismiss-
al. “There is a decrease
in COVID-19 cases, and
to enhance other medi-
cal services, the staff re-
cruited for COVID-19
pandemic should be dis-
charged.Hence,thestaff
should be relieved after
dutyhoursonNovember
30,2021,”statedtheletter
from the mission direc-
tor of the National
Health Mission issued
on November 29, 2021.
Slamming AMC’s
move, Manish Doshi,
chief spokesperson for
Gujarat Pradesh Con-
gress Committee
(GPCC), said, “This is a
foolish step by the AMC,
especiallyatatimewhen
governments across the
globe are worried and
strengthening medical
forcesamidtheOmicron
threat. There is a dire
need to staff health cen-
tres and hospitals with
experienced paramed-
ics. Now is not the time
to retrench them.”
Contractual medical paramedical staffers protesting outside AMC's
health dept office on Wednesday. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
Younger sibling
kills elder bro
over petty row
First India Bureau
Rajkot: A heated
argument between
two brothers in
Rajkot’s Kuchiyad-
al village turned
into a murder case
after one of them
was killed, on
Tuesday night.
Shedding light
on the incident, In-
spector G M Hadi-
ya of Airport po-
lice station told
FirstIndia,“Savan
Shrinivas, the ac-
cused, is the
younger brother
of the deceased Pa-
van Shrinivas.
The former was on
a call with his
mother late on
Tuesday night
when the latter
asked to speak to
her as well. After
Savan refused,
both brothers
turned violent.
Following a heated
exchange of
words, Savan
killed Pavan by
hitting him hard
on the head.”
Pavan, who was
unmarried, was
the eldest of three
brothers. Both his
younger brothers
were married. He
became annoyed
when he was de-
nied access to his
mother and told
his brother that
nobody was inter-
ested in getting
him married, add-
ed Hadiya.
Accused Vijay Thakor in police custody.
FOR AWARENESS ON AIDS
Members of Gujarat State AIDS Control Society marked World AIDS Day by creating a
floral rangoli of the universal AIDS ribbon symbol and lighting candles at the Tagore Hall in
Ahmedabad on Wednesday evening. —PHOTO BY HANIF SINDHI
THE INCIDENT
Public prosecutor Sunil Pandya
who defended the victim.

PERSPECTIVE
04
lVol3lIssueNo.8
l RNINO.GUJENG/2019/79050.
Printed and published by Anita
Hada Sangwan on behalf of First Ex-
press Publishers. Printed at Bhaskar
Printing Planet Survey No.148P,
Changodar-Bavla Highway, Tal. San-
and, Dist. Ahmedabad. Publishedat
D/3023rdFloorPlotNo.35Titanium
Square,SchemeNo.2,ThaltejTaluka,
Ghatlodiya,Ahmedabad.
Editor-In-Chief:JagdeeshChandra.
Editor:AnitaHadaSangwanresponsible
forselectionofnewsunderthePRBAct
SPIRITUAL SPEAK
When meditation is
mastered, the mind is
unwavering like the flame of
a lamp in a windless place.
—Bhagavad Gita
IN-DEPTH
Rajnath Singh
@rajnathsingh
Best wishes to the wonderful people of
Nagaland on their Statehood Day. The
state is known for its natural beauty and
vibrant culture. Praying for Nagaland’s
continuous growth and development.
Smriti Z Irani
@smritiirani
The paradigm shifted in 2014; A stable
Government and bold Leadership
boosted the world’s confidence in
India @sgurumurthy Ji’s article makes
for an interesting read.
TOP TWEETS
NO JOKING, AFTER
FARUQUI IT’S
KUNAL KAMRA
SHOW WHICH
GETS CANCELLED
fter stand-up come-
dian Munawar
Faruqui cancelled
his show in Bengalu-
ru, it was Kunal
Kamra who was forced to call
off his show. The organizers of
Faruqui’s show were told by the
police that it could lead to law
and order problems. A frustrat-
ed Faruqui, who spent a month
in jail for a joke which some
Hindu fundamentalists said he
intended to make, said in a so-
cial media post, “Nafrat jeet
gayi, artist haar gaya. I am
done…” It is not about Faruqui,
a Muslim, but our inability to
appreciate satire and comedy.
Kunal Kamra, another comic,
was also warned against stag-
ing his show in Bengaluru.
Kamra tweeted that his show
was cancelled “over threats to
shut down the venue… I suppose,
I am seen as a variant of the vi-
rus now.”
Laughing does not mean
standing in a park and guffawing
as a yogic exercise. It is about
spontaneity
. “Laughter is a med-
icine”, a magazine column, was
all about jokes.
A
ven as there is
global alarm over
the new Omicron
variant of Covid,
cheerful news
camefromtheeconomywhich
grew by a healthy 8.4 percent
in the second quarter of 2021-
22. Data released by the Na-
tional Statistical Office has
given hopes of a double-digit
growth in the financial year
2022. This is slightly better
than RBI’s projection of 7.9
percent.Thegrowthcomeson
the back of all-round growth
in different sectors like agri-
culture, manufacturing, con-
struction sector, services sec-
tor and private consumption.
Services sector, which saw a
contraction of 16.1 percent
bounced back with a healthy
8.2 percent growth in July-
September quarter.
Despite the promising pro-
jections, the shadow of Omi-
cron requires a cautious ap-
proach not just towards the
new variant of the virus but
alsotowardsitseconomicfall-
out.Thegovernmentistaking
all possible precautions to
avert any pandemic-like situ-
ation and has put in place
strict testing and quarantine
rules for those arriving from
the affected African nations.
Several countries have al-
ready banned flights from
these countries as they watch
the situation unfold. Noted
virologist Dr Gagandeep
Kang is of the view that travel
ban is not the answer to the
Variantof Concern(VOC)but
tracking and quarantine of
those infected will be a better
approach. She also warned
that the mutant may escape
immune response.
Yet the fear of the virus
has not dampened the spirit
of economic revival, not-
withstanding the soaring
prices and a low consumer
confidence level. If people
adhere to the protocol of
wearing masks and hand-
washing there is no reason
why growth trajectory can-
not be maintained.
ECONOMY MAY BRUSH
ASIDE VOC THREAT
Data released by the
National Statistical
Office has given hopes
of a double-digit
growth in the
financial year 2022
E
LOOKING BACK,
GOING AHEAD
s we slowly inch towards the
end of 2021 it would be worth
looking at how the year
panned out for humanity and
in particular the business
world. The year started with
the world still mired in the
Covid19 pandemic though a
solution in the form of vac-
cinesformulateddiligentlyby
afewpharmacompaniesslow-
ly started appearing on the
horizon. But even before we
could test and rejoice the suc-
cessof vaccines,camethesec-
ond Covid wave sweeping
across many countries. The
tollwashugeaswasitssudden
appearance. To make matter
worse, the impact and brutal-
ityof ittookmanybysurprise.
With chaos all around
amidst an obvious shortage
of life-saving medicines and
healthcare equipment, sur-
vival became paramount.
Though it took some time
eventually we braved the sit-
uation well and helped us
emerge that much tougher.
As we confidently look for-
ward, many organizations
amongst us who have been
fortunate enough to come out
unscathed of the pandemic
owe a lot to five ‘R’s namely
Resolve, Recover, Reimagine,
Reform and Resurgence.

z Many organisations exhib-
ited strong resolve in smother-
ing the impact of the pandemic
on their business. They were
quick to adapt to the chang-
ing scenario and embraced
technology as working remotely
became the norm. Employee-
safety and Business-continuity
called for a deft balancing act.
Working-from-office gave way
to working-from-anywhere as
what mattered most was one’s
deliverance. Physical offerings
got merged with Digital ones
giving us an all-new ‘Phygital’
experience – and one that’s go-
ing to stay for long now.

z Economists have come
up with varying degrees of
estimate that prove the global
economy ravaged by Covid19
dipped into the negative zone,
shrank massively and erased
trillions of dollars cumulatively.
Recovering fully from this
economic damage may well
take a few years. Reactivating
both supply chain and distribu-
tion networks poses an arduous
challenge for many businesses.
Sectors like Hospitality and
Tourism have faced massive
blows, but most indicators
point that we are in the midst of
a swift V-shaped recovery.

z Many were taken aback once
the magnitude of the pandemic
truly dawned upon them. It
compelled to quickly revisit
the drawing board looking for
alternative and viable solutions.
Problems never faced before
were to be dealt with effectively
by reimagining the future pos-
sibilities. This not only has-
tened technology adoption and
improvisations but also opened
doors to boost business per-
formance in the fast-changing
landscape.

z There’s no denying that
many amongst us loathe to
change. Those who loved
sticking to a routine and stay-
ing within their comfort zone
were brutally forced to reform.
Showing flexibility to every-
day situations almost became
mandatory as there were no
rules or handbooks to look up
to. Innovative ways were not
only encouraged but became
de rigueur. Old started giving
ways to new as reforms – often
silently – swept across the
business world. Noticeably,
long-term behaviour change
has been set in motion courtesy
of the Covid19 pandemic.

z Many organizations rewrote
their SoPs and understood that
practices like routine office
meetings or across-the-table
interviews weren’t necessary.
These lost their efficacy with the
changing time. Many also drew
contingency plans to handle
curveballs thrown their way and
became agile to mission-critical
projects. Resetting goals, recti-
fying flaws, and learning quickly
from a global crisis heralded a
visible resurgence in multiple
sectors.
The corporate world of
2022 may not look different
extrinsically, but inherently
huge transformations have
happened to help us to
emerge smarter and strong-
er, collectively
.
THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY
THE AUTHOR ARE PERSONAL
A
SABYASACHI DUTTA
The writer is a business executive with more
than two decades of corporate experience
spanning across the globe
The year started with the
world still mired in the
Covid19 pandemic though a
solution in the form of
vaccines formulated
diligently by a few pharma
companies slowly started
appearing on the horizon. But
even before we could test and
rejoice the success of vaccines,
came the second Covid wave
sweeping across many
countries. The toll was huge
as was its sudden appearance.
To make matter worse, the
impact and brutality of it
took many by surprise
With chaos all around
amidst an obvious
shortage of life-
saving medicines and
healthcare
equipment, survival
became paramount.
Though it took some time
eventually we braved the
situation well and
helped us emerge that
much tougher

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Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: The Ap-
pointment Committee
of the Cabinet on
Wednesday appointed
BJP spokesperson Dr.
Sambit Patra as the
chairman of India
Tourism Development
Corporation (ITDC).
Since Dr. Patra is a
medicine and surgery
man, it will be interest-
ing to see how he medi-
cates the sick PSU or
whether he goes for a
‘surgical operation,’
withoutgoingforunnec-
essary medication. Ear-
lier,hewasanindepend-
ent director on ONGC.
Dr. Patra’s appoint-
ment follows the simul-
taneous ACC clear-
ance of the Ministry of
Tourism’s proposals
for splitting the ITDC’s
single post of CMD
into two separate posts
of chairman and man-
aging director. So the
first part of nominal
surgery is already done
for Dr. Patra to facili-
tate his job.
Dr. Patra will hold the
post of part-time non-
executive Director and
Chairman of ITDC for a
period of three years
from the date of as-
sumption of charge or
until further orders, an
official release stated.
The release also stat-
ed that the tenure of
1990 batch IAS officer
Ganji Kamala V Rao as
ITDC managing direc-
tor will continue till
further orders.
INDIA
05
Rakesh Ranjan
New Delhi: NDMC
chairman Dharmendra,
a 1989 batch IAS officer,
is seen to have the supe-
rior experience to his
competitors for post of
Delhi chief secretary
that will fall vacant in
January 2022 when Vi-
jay Kumar Dev may take
VRS in preparation for
his new assignment as
election commissioner
of Government of NCT
of Delhi in April 2022.
Dharmendra is said
to have all the right
qualifications for CS
job. He has served in
Ministry of Housing
UrbanAffairsandasthe
incumbent chairperson
of NDMC, he has gath-
ered the skills to handle
affairsof theCapital.He
has also earned good-
will by his quiet com-
petent way of doing his
job without causing any
controversy
.
Dharmendra could
have been the sole
choice if luck had not
thrown a spanner by an
unpredictable turn of
events. The Mizoram
state government wants
the recently-appointed
1988-batch AGMUT cad-
re officer Renu Sharma,
who was not too long
ago appointed the state
CS, replaced by an of-
ficer who knows the
Mizo language. Of
course, the Mizoram
government’s move is
seen as curious if not
highly objectionable.
However, the central
government, not to be
seen as insensitive to an
‘ordinary’ demand of
the Mizoram govern-
ment, may accede to the
state CM’s request.
So, when Sharma re-
turns, Central govern-
ment may be under
compulsion to find her a
respectable slot befit-
ting her CS stature.
That’s how she has
entered selection scene
of a new CS for Delhi.
She is said to have, like
Dharmendra, gathered
creditable experience
for handling Delhi’s af-
fairs from her previous
posting as Principal
Secretary of Finance
Urban Development.
Interestingly ,
Arunachal Pradesh CS
Naresh Kumar is also
an aspirant for the job.
However, his prolonged
dispute with a
1985-batch IAS officer
and several complaints,
including anonymous
and frivolous ones, may
ruin his chances.
Government has a lot
of other choices as well.
Manoj Kumar Parida
(1986 batch IAS), Satya
Gopal (1988), and ACS
(Urban Development)
Pravin Kumar Gupta
(1989) are also in the
reckoning but the short
residual service of Pari-
da and Satya Gopal may
neutralise their chanc-
es. Parida and Gopal are
slated to retire in Febru-
ary and July 2022.
Since the period of
residual service does
matter in consideration
for top posts, Naresh
Kumar and P K Gupta,
scheduled to retire in
November 2023 and Jan-
uary 2024 do qualify for
consideration on this
count. Dharmendra has
longest residual service
till September 2025
while Renu Sharma
will remain in service
till October 2024.
Even though a few
others too may have
chances for considera-
tion, they are way too
junior to be taken seri-
ously as real aspirants.
Even the ruling AAP
leadership is awaiting
the Centre’s decision for
this top position. The
reason is obvious as
chief minister Arvind
Kejriwal may not be in
a mood to hurt his cause
of emerging as a PM
contender.
Next Delhi Chief Secretary: Choices obvious yet not limited
Won’t apologise to re-enter
RajyaSabha:suspendedMPs
New Delhi: Twelve sus-
pended Rajya Sabha
MPs of the opposition
parties holding day-
long protests in front of
the Mahatma Gandhi
statue inside the Parlia-
ment complex will con-
tinue to do so every day
till their suspension is
revoked.
Opposition party lead-
ers including Congress
MP Rahul Gandhi
staged a protest at the
Gandhi statue.
The leaders termed
the suspension order
“autocratic” and assert-
ed that they will not
apologise for “raising
people’s issues”.
“Our protest will go
on until this illegal sus-
pension is revoked. Our
MPs have been protest-
ing in LS and RS. “Eve-
ry day from 10-11 am
Opposition MPs are pro-
testing and will contin-
ue to do so. The sus-
pended MPs are also
sitting in protest and
will do so every day
from 10 am to 5 pm in
front of the Gandhi stat-
ue,” said Ripun Bora, a
suspended MP
. —PTI
New Delhi: The pro-
ceedings of the Rajya
Sabha were adjourned
for the day on
Wednesday amid unre-
lenting protests by op-
position members over
the issue of suspension
of 12 MPs.
When the House as-
sembled at 3 pm follow-
ing an adjournment
post-lunch, the opposi-
tion members again
started their protest in-
side the Well and contin-
ued their sloganeering.
The members did not
allow Union Minister
for Jal Shakti Gajendra
Singh Shekhawat, who
was moving The Dam
Safety Bill, 2019 for con-
sideration in the House,
to complete his speech.
Bhubaneswar Kalita,
who was presiding the
proceedings of the Up-
per House, persuaded
the opposition members
to return to their seats
and allow the minister
to complete his speech.
As soon as the House
resumed in the after-
noon, Deputy Chair-
man Harivansh, who
was in the chair, asked
Union Minister for Jal
Shakti Gajendra Singh
Shekhawat to move the
bill. He also assured the
agitating members that
Leader of Opposition
Mallikarjun Kharge
would be allowed to
speak on the suspension
of 12 members of the
House, once they return
to their seats.
Earlier, when the
house met at 2 pm, Dep-
uty Chairman Hari-
vansh, who was in the
chair, asked Shekhawat
to move The Dam Safety
Bill for consideration in
the House. The minister
moved the motion for
consideration of the bill
by the House and there-
after, the deputy chair-
man asked him to speak
on the bill. —PTI
RS ADJOURNED AMIDST OPPN PROTEST
LS too was adjourned till noon amid protests by TRS over farmer issue; 12 suspended MPs wont apologise for re-entering RS
WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT
Reproductive tech
Bill: Oppn flags
exclusion of
singles, LGBTQ
MPLADS
RESTORED, MPs
TO GET `2 CR
FOR 2021-221
AN INSULT OF
FARMERS, SAYS
KHARGE
New Delhi: Opposi-
tion members in Lok
Sabha Wednesday
attacked the govern-
ment for excluding
live-in couples,
single men and the
LGBTQ community
from the ambit of the
Assisted Reproduc-
tive Tech (Regula-
tion) Bill, 2021, at-
tacking legislation as
“discriminatory” and
“patriarchal”. Con-
gress member Karti
P Chidambaram, who
opened the debate on
Bill, said: “This law
is not a Hindu law, it
is actually a Victorian
law.” He invoked
the Mahabharata
and Puranas several
times.
New Delhi: Govern-
ment has restored
Member of Parlia-
ment Local Area
Development Scheme
(MPLADS) for the
remaining part of
2021-21 with release
of Rs 2 crore per
MP in one install-
ment, Parliament was
informed on Wednes-
day. “The Govt has
approved restoration
of MPLADS during
the remaining part
of the financial year
2021-22 with release
of MPLADS fund
at the rate of Rs 2
crore per Member
of Parliament in one
instalment,” Statistics
Minister Rao Inderjit
Singh said in LS.
Slamming Centre
for not having a
record of farmers who
died during farm stir,
LoP in RS Mallikarjun
Kharge said it is an
“insult” of farmers. He
said, “If govt doesn’t
have a record of 700
people then how they
had collected data of
lakhs of people during
pandemic.
New Delhi: The Centre
on Wednesday said it
has no record of farm-
ers who died during the
agitation against the
farm laws.
In its response to a
question on whether it
proposes to provide fi-
nancial assistance to
the kin of farmers who
died during the agita-
tion, the Ministry of
Agriculture and Farm-
ers’ Welfare replied in
the Parliament that it
has “no record in the
matter and hence the
question does not
arise.” On the third day
of the winter session,
the Leader of Congress
Party in Lok Sabha
Adhir Ranjan Chowd-
hury raised the issue of
the death of farmers
during the protest
against farm laws. —PTI
No record of farmers who
died during stir: Centre
‘CBI probe in 64 cases pending for 5 yrs’
New Delhi: A total of
64 cases are under CBI
investigation for more
than five years, the
government informed
Parliament on
Wednesday.
In a written reply to a
question in the Lok Sab-
ha, Minister of State for
Personnel Jitendra Sin-
gh said as many as 1,256
cases are under investi-
gation by the Central
Bureau of Investigation
(CBI) and of these, 64
are pending for more
than five years. —PTI
Anita Hada
New Delhi: WestBengal
CM and TMC Supremo
Mamata Banerjee is put-
ting more power than
even the BJP in defeat-
ing the Congress in the
Assembly elections of
five states to be held next
year. Although Didi’s
party TMC is not in any
fight in these five states,
yet Mamta has put her
feet everywhere and is
running a campaign to
harm the Congress in
some way or the other.
She took former Con-
gress CM Luizinho Fle-
rio in Goa and merged
him in her party, and
made him responsi-
ble for ‘coup’ against
Congress in Megha-
laya. She broke the
Congress in the east-
ern state too. The
breakup of Megha-
laya will have a ma-
jor impact on Ma-
n i p u r.
While
she
has already brought
Congress leader Sush-
mita Deb with her in As-
sam, now campaign to
break Congress is going
on in Manipur. In UP,
Mamata has included
old Congress leaders
Rajesh Pati Tripathi
Lalitesh Pati Tripathi in
TMC. She has openly
said that if Samajwadi
Party national president
Akhilesh Yadav wants,
then she is ready to help
him. She is helping SP in
UP both directly and in-
directly. In this way, in
Goa, Manipur UP,
where polls will be held
next year, Mamata is do-
ing politics to harm Con-
gress.
As far as Punjab is
concerned, she is not di-
rectly involved in the
politics of Punjab but
she is helping Aam Aad-
mi Party from behind
the scenes and has en-
gaged her election strat-
egist Prashant Kishor in
this work. It can also be
said that Kishor is work-
ing according to her
strategy to harm Con-
gress in Punjab. He has
also been an election
strategist for the Aam
Aadmi Party and has
also been an advisor to
Captain Amarinder Sin-
gh, who recently broke
away from Congress and
formed a new party.
Through them, Mamata
is harming Congress by
helping these two.
Now the question is,
what is Mamata’s think-
ing behind harming
Congress? In fact,
Kishor has explained to
her that if she has to be-
come the pivot of Oppo-
sition politics, then, for
that, the Congress has to
be weakened. If the Con-
gress breaks down and
loses in the states, it will
not be able to become the
centre of politics in its
efforts of Opposition
unity before 2024. At that
time, Mamata can come
to the centre by replac-
ing the Congress. In this
way
, by making Didi cen-
tre of Oppn politics,
Kishor is making her
PM candidate for 2024
polls. To make it a Modi
vs Mamata in next Lok
Sabha polls, Congress
needs to be weak. In this
work, indirect support
of other Congress allies
is also with Mamata.
IS GOAL OF PM POST AT EPICENTRE
OFDIDI’SONGOING‘WAR’ONCONG?
Patra appointed as ITDC
chairman in ‘surgical op’
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge along with
Opposition MPs protest outside Parliament on Wednesday.
Proceedings of RS adjourned following sloganeering by Opposition MPs during Winter Session of Parliament on Wednesday.
LOK SABHA ADJOURNED
New Delhi: Lok Sabha proceedings were ad-
journed till noon on Wednesday amid continuous
protests by members of the TRS over farmer
issues. This is the third consecutive day that the
Question Hour was disrupted since the winter
session of parliament commenced on Monday.
Members of the TRS shouted slogans and dis-
played placards over farmer issues in the Well of
the House during the Question Hour. Speaker Om
Birla told the protesting members it was not the
right thing to do and emphasised that the Ques-
tion Hour was important.
—SANSADTV
Mamata Banerjee
Dr. Sambit Patra

INDIA
06
RANAUT REACTS
AS PLEA FILED IN
SC AGAINST HER
Mumbai: Controversy’s
favourite child Kangana
Ranaut has declared
herself the ‘most
powerful woman’ in the
country after a plea was
filed against her in the
Supreme Court. Plea has
been submitted in the
Supreme Court seeking
censorship of the actor’s
future posts on social
media to maintain law
and order situation in
the country. Kangana’s
Twitter account was
permanently suspended
earlier this year for
‘repeated violations of
Twitter rules’.
FIR against FB CEO Zuckerberg
over post against Akhilesh Yadav
New Delhi: Launching
a veiled attack on the
Centre over the LPG
price hike, Congress
leader Rahul Gandhi on
Wednesday said the
sentiments of the rhet-
oric fell with rising in-
flation.
Rahul Gandhi’s re-
marks came after the
national oil marketing
companies have in-
creased the price of
commercial 19kg LPG
cylinder by Rs 100.50,
taking the new price to
Rs 2,101 in Delhi, in-
formed the sources on
Wednesday. This is the
second-highest price of
19kg commercial cylin-
der after 2012-13 when it
used to cost around Rs
2,200 per cylinder. —ANI
Rahul Gandhi attacks Centre
over inflation, LPG price hike
PM Modi to launch
projects worth `18k cr
in Dehradun on Dec 4
IN THE COURTYARD
New Delhi: PM Naren-
dra Modi will visit Deh-
raduntoinaugurateand
lay the foundation stone
of multiple projects
worth around Rs 18,000
crore on December 4.
As per the official
note released by PMO,
PM Modi will lay the
foundation stone of pro-
jects which includes the
Delhi-Dehradun Eco-
nomic Corridor which
will be built at a cost of
around Rs 8,300 crore. It
willsignificantlyreduce
the travel time from Del-
hi to Dehradun from six
hours to around 2.5
hours. It will have seven
major interchanges for
connectivity to Harid-
war, Muzaffarnagar,
Shamli, Yamunanagar,
Baghpat, Meerut and
Baraut. It will have
Asia’s largest wildlife
elevated corridor (12
km) for unrestricted
wildlife movement.—ANI
New Delhi: A case has
been registered against
Facebook CEO Mark
Zuckerberg over an al-
leged controversial post
against SP chief Akh-
ilesh Yadav. The case
has been filed at a court
in UP’s Kannuaj dis-
trict. Along with Zuck-
erberg, the lawsuit also
named 49 others, a me-
dia report reveals. In-
terestingly, Zuckerberg
himself has not posted
defamatory post. —PTI
New Delhi: The Con-
gress’s alliance in Goa
with a former BJP ally
ahead of polls next year
has drawn a trenchant
attack from TMC leader,
which had pursued par-
ty for a collaboration.
TMC MP Mahua Moi-
tra’s tweet targets Goa
Forward Party led by
ex-minister Sardesai,
which sealed an alli-
ance with the Congress
Tuesday evening. —ANI
Rahul Gandhi addresses media outside parliament.
PM Narendra Modi
Rahul Gandhi
@RahulGandhi
In the past, a job in
the railways was a
matter of honor, there
are no jobs in railways
today. Soon, there
will be no railway like
before! Stop injustice
from the public. We
want #JusticeForRail-
waysStudents
‘GOA, YOU’RE BETTER THAN THIS’
...TMC AS BJP’S
EX-ALLY PICKS
CONGRESS
Mahua Moitra
@MahuaMoitra
INC win 17 seats in Goa 2017,
BJP won only 13. Yet while
AICC’s Digvijay Singh “ob-
served” , BJP sealed deal with
GFP to form unholy govt. GFP
suddenly on poll eve realises
BJP is evil, hugs INC! Come on
Goa- you’re better than this!
New Delhi: Incidents
of infiltration and ter-
rorist attacks have de-
creased significantly in
Jammu and Kashmir
since 2018, MoS for
Home Nityanand Rai
informed RS on
Wednesday. Minister
shared data regarding
details of estimated net
infiltrations and ter-
rorist incidents since
the year 2018. —ANI
INCIDENTS TOOK
PLACE IN JK...
October 2020 to October
2021, 251 terrorist inci-
dents took place in JK
followed by 14 in Sep-
tember, 36 in August, 26
in July, 22 in June and
13 in May, 12 in April, 11
in March, 7 in February
and 8 in January. Total
28 incidents reported in
December 2020, 15 in
Nov and 22 in October.
Terrorism, infiltration dropped in JK after 2018: Centre
Jaish’s IED expert among 2
terrorists killed in Pulwama
n Central government on
Wednesday shared data
with Rajya Sabha
n Cong leader asks if it
is a fact that there is a
rise in attacks in JK
Terrorist commander of JeM Yasir and a foreign ultra were killed.
Nityanand Rai visited Border Security Force Sector headquarters in Kupwara on September 30.
Srinagar: Terrorist
commander of Jaish-e-
Mohammad (JeM) Ya-
sir Parray and a foreign
ultra were killed in an
encounter with securi-
ty forces in Pulwama
district of Jammu and
Kashmir on Wednesday
,
police said. “Terrorist
commander of pro-
scribed #terror outfit
JeM Yasir Parray, an
IED Expert foreign
terrorist Furqan # neu-
tralized. Both were in-
volved in several terror
#crime cases. A big
#success,” the IGP said
in a tweet. —ANI
CONG LEADER
SHARMA ASKS
NITYANAND RAI
Rai’s reply came as
Congress leader
Anand Sharma asked
“whether
it is a fact
that there
is a rise in
incidents
of Infiltra-
tion and
terrorist attacks in
JK” “number of
terror attacks during
October 2020-Octo-
ber 2021”. He also
asked about “casu-
alties suffered by
Paramilitary forces
and JK Police”, and
“number of terrorists
apprehended and
killed during last 12
months”.
51
143
infiltration incidents
reported in 2020
infiltration incidents
reported in 2018
28
infiltration
incidents
reported
up to
October
31, 2021
INFILTRATION INCIDENTS REPORTED
141infiltration incidents
reported in 2017
T
he world is rac-
ing to decode the
genome of the
Omicron Covid strain
and figure out how far it
has spread. At stake are
millions of lives and the
global economy, which
is still recovering from
the havoc wrought by
the Delta variant.
Data at this time
shows Omicron was in
circulation well before
it was flagged in South
Africa last week. The
US, India and China -
the three countries
worst affected by the
entire pandemic - have
not yet reported Omi-
cron cases. Internation-
al airports across India
have begun stringent
screening and testing
of incoming passen-
gers, particularly those
from ‘at risk’ countries.
A senior doctor at the
government-run ICMR,
however, told it is likely
Omicron is already pre-
sent in country
. —ANI
WORLD RACES TO TRACE
OMICRON
12 countries
confirm
Omicron is
more lethal
than earlier
variants...

z Quarantine manda-
tory for passengers
coming from at-risk
countries in Maha

z Covid test must for
int’l passengers ar-
riving in Karnataka

z Punjab orders 40k
testing daily amid
possible third wave

z Sequencing results
of Delhi travellers for
Omicron awaited

z Meerut starts
monitoring of people
coming from foreign

z Saudi Arabia detects
1st case of new
Omicron variant

z Malaysia bans entry
of travellers from
eight countries

z Japan begins admin-
istering Covid-19
booster shots

z WHO urges countries
to take ‘rational’
measures against
Omicron variant

z Moderna vaccine
is less effective
against Omicron
OMICRON UPDATES
THE ‘OMICRON’ VARIANT COULD
OUTCOMPETE DELTA: SA EXPERT
Johannesburg: Omicron coronavirus
variant detected in southern Africa could
be the most likely candidate to displace
the highly contagious Delta variant, the
director of South Africa’s communicable
disease institute said.
Geneva: DG of the WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that
the first meeting of the organization’s commission to discuss new
treaty on the pandemic will take place on March 1, 2022, and its
final document will be presented in 2024. “I welcome your com-
mitment to hold the first meeting of the INB no later than the first
of March 2022, and to submit its outcome for consideration to
the World Health Assembly in 2024,” Tedros said.
1ST MEET
OF WHO
OVER NEW
PANDEMICS
TO BE HELD
ON MARCH 1
ASSAM LEADER
LYNCHING: PRIME
ACCUSED DIES
BANK UNIONS
THREATEN TWO-DAY
NATIONWIDE STRIKE
Guwahati: The prime
accused in the lynch-
ing of AASU leader
Animesh Bhuyan died
on Wednesday, allegedly
in a road accident while
trying to flee police
custody. Niraj Das was
among 13 arrested,
including his father and
brother, after Bhuyan
was beaten to death on
a busy street in Jorhat.
Das had “revealed some
information on a hidden
drug assignment”, and
that they were escorting
him around 1.30 am.
New Delhi: The United
Forum of Bank Unions
(UFBU), an umbrella
body of 9 unions, has
given a call for a two-
day strike from Dec 16
to protest against the
proposed privatisation
of two state-owned lend-
ers. In the Union budget
presented in February,
Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman had an-
nounced the privatisa-
tion of 2 PSBs as part of
its disinvestment plan.
Strike notice for Dec 16
Dec 17 is served.
MANJINDER JOINS BJP AHEAD OF PUNJAB
POLLS IN BIG BLOW TO EX-ALLY AKALI DAL
New Delhi: BJP made a key acquisition ahead of Punjab
polls, but at cost to its ex-ally Akali Dal. Manjinder Sirsa,
an Akali Dal leader close to Badals, joined ruling party.
BJP is in touch with many Jat Sikh leaders like Sirsa in
Punjab. The party’s strategy for polls is to tap disgrun-
tled leaders from Cong and AD, shore up its prospects in
a state where it has only ever played second fiddle.
CRUCIAL READ
GUJARAT RIOTS: SC
DISMISSES ZAKIA,
TEESTA’S PETITION
New Delhi: SC has
passed an announce-
ment regarding the Gu-
jarat riot case in 2002.
The Supreme court has
dismissed the plea and
petition from Zakia and
Teesta. SIT said that
Teesta wants to keep the
pot boiling of the Gujarat
riots and this agony
must come to an end.
Teesta still demands that
Supreme Court should
provide closure on the
matter. According to the
sources, there was no
material or evidence to
lodge the charge sheet
and take probe forward.
‘Raj should...
The total outstanding
dues have touched Rs564
crore and it should pay
the said amount to Guja-
rat. It cannot stop releas-
ing water from Mahi Ba-
jaj Dam meant for Guja-
rat.” Last week, Malviya
had made an announce-
menttostopthewaterof
Mahi Bajaj Dam to Guja-
rat.Hehadindicatedthat
40 thousand million cu-
bic feet (TMC) water
meantforGujaratwillbe
used for Rajasthan only
.
Vaghani also told media
persons that Chief Min-
ister Bhupendra Patel
will address the Vibrant
Gujarat Global Summit
(VGGS) road show in
Mumbai on Thursday
.
He will be visiting the
Bombay Stock Ex-
change, Siddhivinayak
Temple and also chair a
meetingwithindustrial-
ists. He will then travel
toDubaionDecember08
for a two-day visit.
FROM PG 1

BIZ BUZZ
07
New Delhi:
Goods and Services
Tax (GST) collections
jumped to over 1.31
lakh crore in Novem-
ber, the second highest
since its implementa-
tion in July 2017, in
line with the trend in
economic recovery, the
finance ministry said
on Wednesday.
“The gross GST rev-
enue collected in the
month of November
2021 is `1,31,526 crore
of which CGST is
`23,978 crore, SGST is
`31,127 crore, IGST is
`66,815 crore (includ-
ing `32,165 crore col-
lected on import of
goods) and Cess is
`9,606 crore
(including `653
crore collected on im-
port of goods),” the
ministry said in a
statement.
CGST refers to Cen-
tral Goods and Servic-
es Tax, SGST (State
G o o d s
and Service Tax)
and IGST (Integrated
Goods and Services
Tax).
The GST revenues
for the month of No-
vember 2021, are 25 per
cent higher than No-
vember 2020, and 27
per cent higher over
November 2019.
“The GST revenues
for November 2021
have been the second
highest ever since in-
troduction of GST,
second only to that in
April 2021, which re-
lated to year-end reve-
nues and higher than
last month's collec-
tion, which also in-
cluded the impact of
returns required to be
filed quarterly. This is
very much in line with
the trend in economic
recovery,” the minis-
try said.
In Oct 2021, the rev-
enues were `1,30,127
crore, while in April
2021, it was the high-
est at over `1.41 lakh
crore. The recent
trend of high GST rev-
enues has been a re-
sult of various policy
and administrative
measures that have
been taken in the past
to improve compli-
ance.
A large number of
initiatives undertaken
in the last one year
like, enhancement of
system capacity, nudg-
ing non-filers after last
date of filing of re-
turns, auto-population
of returns, blocking of
e-way bills and pass-
ing of input tax credit
for non-filers has led
to consistent improve-
ment in the filing of
returns over the last
few months, the minis-
try added. —PTI
April 32172 139708
May 62151 97821
June 90917 92800
July 87422 116393
August 86449 112020
September 95480 117010
October 105155 130127
November 104963 131526
MONTH 2020-21 2021-22
The GST
revenues
for the
month of
November
2021 are 25%
higher than
Nov 2020 and
27% higher
over Nov 2019
November
GROSS
collection, 2nd
highest ever
New Delhi: India’s
manufacturing sector
recorded the highest
production growth in
nine months in No-
vember, as per the sur-
vey-based IHS Markit
India Manufacturing
Purchasing Managers’
Index (PMI), which
rose to 57.6 from 55.9 in
October.
A reading of 50 on
the PMI indicates no
change in economic ac-
tivity levels. The No-
vember PMI signals
the strongest improve-
ment in the health of
the manufacturing sec-
tor for ten months,
with factory orders ris-
ing for the fifth succes-
sive month at the fast-
est pace since Febru-
ary. The long-run PMI
average for India is
53.6.
There was
an improve-
ment in hir-
ing activity
among goods
produc-
e r s ,
w h i c h
was frac-
tional on the
whole, but
s t i l l
marked
o n ly the sec-
o n d expansion
in jobs over the past 20
months. The survey
data also suggested
that the domestic mar-
ket was the main
source of sales growth
in November, as new
export orders rose at a
slight pace that was
weaker than in Octo-
ber.
“Although
manufacturers re-
mained upbeat to-
wards growth pros-
pects, the overall level
of positive sentiment
slipped to a 17-month
low. Companies were
concerned that infla-
tionary pressures
could dampen demand
and restrict output in
the year ahead,” the
firm said. —PTI
GDP likely to
grow more than
9.5% in FY22
Mumbai: The coun-
try’s gross domestic
product (GDP) is like-
ly to grow more than
9.5% in fiscal 2021-22,
an SBI research re-
port-Ecowrap said.
The economy grew
at 8.4% in the second
quarter of the current
fiscal, according to
data released by the
National Statistical
Office on Tuesday
. The
growth in the April-
June quarter of this
fiscal stood at 20.1%.
In October’s mone-
tary policy review, the
RBI had retained its
projection for real
GDP growth at 9.5% in
2021-22, consisting of
7.9% in Q2; 6.8% in Q3;
and 6.1% in Q4.
We believe that the
real GDP growth
would now be higher
than the RBI’s esti-
mate of 9.5%, assum-
ing the RBI growth
numbers for Q3 and
Q4 to be sacrosanct,
the research report
said. The real GDP
growth may be near to
10%, it added.
The report said the
GDP grew by 8.4% in
Q2 FY22 on the back of
double-digit growth in
mining quarrying,
public administra-
tion, defence other
services. The real GVA
increased by 8.5%, a
tad higher than the
GDP growth. —PTI
The long-run
PMI average for
India is 53.6, which
rose to 57.6 in the
month of November
from 55.9 in
October
MANUFACTURING HITS
10-month high in November
Omicron’s impact depends on curbs: Moody’s Investors Service
New Delhi: The eco-
nomic impact of the
Omicron variant of
COVID-19 on emerging
economies will depend
on a mix of govern-
ment restrictions, pub-
lic comfort with social
interactions, and ca-
pacity of governments
and central banks to
provide additional pol-
icy support to the pri-
vate sector, Moody’s
Investors Service said
on Wednesday
.
The emergence of
the new variant poses
new risks to the global
economic growth and
inflation outlook, as
concerns mount about
the variant’s health
risks and several coun-
tries have imposed
new travel restrictions
in recent days.
These restrictions
will likely increase
over the coming weeks
until scientists learn
more about the vari-
ant, it said. Continued
progress in global vac-
cination efforts and
public compliance
with the use of tools
such as masks and so-
cial distancing will be
important factors in
determining the eco-
nomic impact of the
new variant.
Countries with an
assured supply of ef-
fective vaccines and
delivery systems,
and high levels
of vaccine ac-
c e p t a n c e
by the
p u b l i c ,
will re-
m a i n
better positioned, Moody’s said.
The economic im-
pact on other
emerging
m a r k e t
countries will
differ, and will
depend on a mix
o f government re-
strictions, public
comfort with social
interactions, and
the capacity of govern-
ments and central
banks to provide addi-
tional policy support to
the private sector, if
needed.
Emerging market
countries facing travel
bans, including South
Africa, as well as those
dependent on tourism
revenue face further
downside risks,
Moody’s said in a re-
port.
The new, and poten-
tially more contagious
variant Omicron, was
first reported to the
World Health Organi-
zation (WHO) from
South Africa on No-
vember 24.
Moody’s said the
emergence of the new
variant also comes
during a period of frag-
ile economic recovery,
with stretched supply
chains, elevated infla-
tion and labor market
shortages.
Business disruption
resulting from the
spread of the new vari-
ant could prevent sup-
ply chain stresses from
easing, dampening
productive capacity
and stoking further
cost pressures in sec-
tors with exposure to
global supply chains.
—PTI
New Delhi: India’s
power consumption
grew by 3.6% in No-
vember to 100.42 billion
units (BU), showing
consistent recovery for
the second month in a
row, according to Pow-
er Ministry data.
The country’s power
consumption had
grown by 3.9% in Octo-
ber this year to 113.40
BU compared to 109.17
BU in the same month
last year.
Last year in Novem-
ber, power consump-
tion stood at 96.88 BU
and in the same month
in 2019, it was at 93.94
BU.
During November,
the peak power demand
met or the highest sup-
ply in a day stood at
166.19 GW, higher than
160.77 GW in the same
month last year.
The data shows that
there is recovery in
power consumption as
well as demand in No-
vember.
Experts said the re-
covery in power de-
mand as well as con-
sumption would in-
crease further with
government’s efforts to
scale up coal supplies
at plants and improve-
ment in economic ac-
tivities following the
lifting of lockdown re-
strictions by states.
—PTI
Powerconsumptionrises3.6%to100.42bnunitsinNov
Sensex rebounds 620
points; Nifty above 17,100
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex rebounded 620 points on Wednesday,
boosted by gains in index majors Reliance Industries, Maruti and SBI
amid a positive trend in global markets. The 30-share index ended 619.92
points or 1.09% higher at 57,684.79. Similarly, the NSE Nifty surged
183.70 points or 1.08% to close at 17,166.90. IndusInd Bank was the top
g a i n e r in the Sensex pack, rising nearly 6%, followed
by Axis Bank, SBI, Maruti, Tech Mahindra and
Reliance Industries. On the other hand, Dr.
Reddy’s, UltraTech Cement, Sun Pharma, Bharti
Airtel and Titan were among the lag-
gards. Elsewhere in Asia, bourses in
H o n g Kong, Shanghai,
Seoul and Tokyo
ended with gains.
Stock exchanges in
Europe too were trading
on a positive note in mid-
session deals. —PTI
Mumbai: The rupee gained 22 paise to close at 74.91 (provisional) against
the US dollar on Wednesday as positive domestic
equities and a weak American currency
in the overseas markets boosted
investor sentiment. At the
interbank forex market, the
domestic unit opened at
74.96 against the greenback
and witnessed an intra-day
high of 74.79 and a low of
75.02 during the day’s trade. It
finally ended at 74.91 a dollar.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which
gauges the greenback’s strength
against a basket of six currencies,
declined 0.03% to 95.96. Brent crude
futures, the global oil benchmark,
jumped 4.75% to $72.52 per barrel.
—PTI
` gains 22 paise to end at
`74.91 against $
Kong, Shanghai,
Seoul and Tokyo
ended with gains.
Stock exchanges in
session deals.
g a i n e r in the Sensex pack, rising nearly 6%, followed
H o n g
Stock exchanges in
session deals.
The rupee gained 22 paise to close at 74.91 (provisional) against
investor sentiment. At the
interbank forex market, the
and witnessed an intra-day
high of 74.79 and a low of
—PTI
IN 17+ COUNTRIES
TRENDS IN GST COLLECTION (IN ` CR)

Let us do our bit to make the
world pollution free - not for
ourselves but at least for the
coming generations.
—Jagdeesh Chandra, CEO Editor-in-Chief, First India
08
2NDFRONT
First India Bureau
Vadodara: It is often
that government facili-
ties are dismissed as
inefficient, but a rare
brain surgery per-
formed at the State-run
Sir Sayajirao Gaekwad
Hospital of Vadodara to
remove a tumour from
a 49-year-old man ex-
plodes this myth.
Dhansukh Chouhan,
hailing from Tamadi
village of Bharuch dis-
trict in South Gujarat,
was admitted with
complaints of convul-
sion and speech distur-
bance. MRI revealed a
tumour on the left side
of the brain.
According to doctors
treating him, the left
side of the brain has
speech areas and sur-
gery carries a risk of
damage, leading to loss
of speech and under-
standing. And so, such
surgeries are done by a
special technique
called Awake Craniot-
omy with Intraopera-
tive Neuromonitoring
(IONM). In this meth-
od, the doctors contin-
uously talk to the pa-
tient during surgery,
which is done under
local anaesthesia.
Dr Amey Patankar,
head of the neurosur-
gery department of
the hospital, said that
local anaesthesia, giv-
en in the scalp, lasts
for 10 to 12 hours. Us-
ing intraoperative
neuromonitoring, the
speech areas are iden-
tified by stimulating
various areas of the
brain and asking the
patient to speak. If
near any area the pa-
tient stops speaking
then it is marked as
speech area and tu-
mour from that area is
not removed. The sur-
gery is done little
away from the speech
area, he said.
In Chouhan’s case,
80 per cent tumour was
removed and then the
surgery was stopped as
the started developing
speech disturbance.
The doctor said that
Chouhan is fully con-
scious and would be
discharged soon. He
said that the surgery
was done about a
week ago.
He was counselled
before the surgery.
Rest of the tumour can
be treated by radio-
therapy.
First India Bureau
Rajkot: Notwithstand-
ing the new Omicron
variant scare of Cov-
id-19, social distancing
rules have not only been
forgottenbythecommon
masses, but also by the
district administration
in Rajkot, at least when
it comes to public trans-
portation in Rajkot.
Now, on Wednesday, a
video of people hanging
out of an overcrowded
city bus moving on Ra-
jkot roads went viral,
raising questions on the
management of trans-
port services by the Ra-
jkot Municipal Corpo-
ration (RMC).
Unlike many other
cities such scenes are a
rarity in Rajkot, the
heavy rush after the
reopening of schools
and colleges during the
last two months has led
to this problem. People
are literally struggling
to stand in city buses,
forget about getting a
space to sit.
A youth, almost hang-
ing with a bag in a city
bus on Wednesday
morning, reflected the
kind of rush during
morning hours and ab-
sence of any rules in
city buses. The bus
number 18 was moving
on Kalawad Road.
A student of Lamiya
college said they faced
the same problem when
they return home. De-
spite a good frequency
of buses, they actually
struggletofindaplaceto
stand, the student said.
First India made sev-
eral efforts to reach the
officials of Rajkot Raj-
path Limited, a subsidi-
ary of RMC formed to
run and operate buses
in the city, but the offic-
ers failed to respond.
There can’t be any-
thing more ironical that
in 2016, the RMC even
got a special award for
“commendable initia-
tive for city bus service”
by the Union Ministry
of Urban Development.
Rajkot city currently
has 90 city buses and 16
midi electric buses. But
the way the buses are
plying jam-packed, it
seems that there is an
urgent need to deploy
more, considering social
distancing norms and
even the safety of the
commuters,accordingto
publictransportexperts.
TOUGH CALL!
Vadodara’s SSG Hosp docs perform rare brain surgery
This surgery requires the doctors
to continuously speak to the
patient under local anaesthesia
Team of SSG doctors who performed the surgery.
Video of students hanging out of RMC bus goes viral.
RAJKOT BUSES: NO PLACE
TO STAND, FORGET SIT
Rajkot city in Gujarat is witnessing scenes of overcrowded public buses almost daily
TRANSPORT WOES
Surat SCET students honoured for
‘Medical Image Translation’ project
First India Bureau
Surat: The ‘Medical
Image Translation’
project created by stu-
dents of Sarvajanik
College of Engineer-
ing and Technology,
Surat, have stood first
out of 2,000 competi-
tors from around the
world in INAP Inter-
national Student Pro-
ject Awards 2021.
This is the first
time in ten years that
Gujarat has been hon-
ouredwiththisaward.
The advantage of
this project is that it
will save radiologist’s
resources and time,
reduce costs for pa-
tients and help reduce
the effects of radia-
tion on the body
. This
project will also be
beneficial for chil-
dren, as it will reduce
the radiation time re-
quired for their MRI.
Preeti Srinivasan
(Masters Research
Scholar at IIT Mandi)
said, “The selection
process for the award
took six months. In
the first round, 600
projects were classi-
fied, out of which,
our students got first
position.”
The results of the
final round were an-
nounced at the awards
ceremony held at Raj
Bhavan, Trivandrum
on October 20, 2021,
and the prizes were
given away by Kerala
Governor Arif Mo-
hammad Khan.
The members of
SCET’s Computer En-
gineering student
team are: Ninad An-
klesaria, Dhyay Ni-
kalwala, Yashvi Malu,
Urmi Pathak and Ji-
nal Patel. These stu-
dents were guided by
Nirali Nanavati and
Preeti Srinivasan.
MRI data was provid-
ed by Nipun Jindal for
study purposes.
Students of SCET, Surat, in a laboratory. —FILE PHOTO
First India Bureau
Dwarka: An employee
of a post office in Guja-
rat’s Devbhumi Dwar-
ka district has been
charged with allegedly
embezzling Rs 1.55
crore from 16 post of-
fice branches on
Wednesday.
According to an offi-
cial from the Kalyanpur
police station, India
Post employee Tarak
Jadhav allegedly tam-
pered with the post of-
fice’s accounting soft-
ware to syphon off Rs
1.55 crore by showing
fake cash in transit
from 16 branches under
the Bhatia sub post of-
fice in Kalyanpur talu-
ka, where he worked.
The forgery took
place between June 2019
and December 2020 at
the Bhatia sub post of-
fice, where the accused
worked as a postal assis-
tant and in-charge sub
post master. During this
time, 110 transactions
were performed to sy-
phon off a total of Rs
1,557,500.
According to the of-
ficial, a case has been
filed against Jadhav
under section 409 of
the IPC (criminal
breach of trust by a
public worker), and ad-
ditional investigation
is underway.
First India Bureau
New Delhi: The CBSE
on Wednesday stated
that a question relating
to Gujarat 2002 riots in
its class XII Sociology
Term I Board examina-
tion was “inappropri-
ate” and would take ac-
tion against “responsi-
ble persons”.
Question 23 in its
multiple choice Sociol-
ogy paper — the first
“major subject” exami-
nation, or examination
for a subject offered in
most schools — read:
“The unprecedented
scale and spread of anti-
Muslim violence in Gu-
jarat in 2002 took place
under which govern-
ment?” The options of-
fered were: “Congress”,
“BJP”, “Democratic”
and “Republican”.
The CBSE tweeted,
“A question has been
asked in today’s class 12
sociology Term 1 exam
which is inappropriate
and in violation of the
CBSE guidelines for ex-
ternal subject experts
for setting question pa-
pers. CBSE acknowl-
edges the error made
and will take strict ac-
tion against the respon-
sible persons.”
In a second tweet, it
added, “The CBSE
guidelines for paper set-
ters clearly state that
they have to ensure the
questions should be aca-
demic oriented only and
should not touch upon
domains that could
harm sentiments of
people based on social
and political choices.”
Dwarka post office staff
booked for `1.5 cr fraud
—FILE
PHOTO
—FILE
PHOTO
OVERCAST
A’BAD
SKIES!
Ahmedabad
witnessed overcast
skies as rains
lashed parts of
city, while the
weather bureau has
predicted heavy
rains during next
two days.
—PHOTO BY
HANIF SINDHI
CBSEcallsquestionon2002Gujaratriotsan‘error’

This Throwback
Thursday, City
First brings you a
classic- The Sound of
Music! Watch this
movie to understand
that music is beyond the
borders of language –
music is the expression of
love, togetherness, and the
human spirit- drown today in
the heartwarming sound of music.
THE SOUND
THE SOUND
OF MUSIC
OF MUSIC
his is a tough one! What
do I love about ‘The
Sound of Music’ – EVE-
RYTHING!
The music is incom-
parable, the story
heart-warming (and
true), the direction and charac-
terisations are close to excellent
… I want nothing more!
The Sound of Music, released
in 1965 still holds the position as
one of the best musicals ever
made. Watch it today and you
will be transported to Salzburg
and if you allow, it will gently
draw the curtains of your sad-
ness aside and fill your heart
with joy and faith in human-
kind! There is a simplicity, a
spirituality to the movie which
enthralls you and it is gay,
makes you laugh and hum! The
songs will grow on you over the
years…
Julie Andrews as Maria is
simply phenomenal, she is not
conventionally beautiful but
brings charm, verve, and
strength, to her role as the pos-
tulant at a convent, then the
governess to the seven mother-
less children of the Baron, and
finally as the Baroness!
Plummer fits into the role of
the Baron perfectly and the chil-
dren are super cute as they try
to scare their governess away
and then fall in love with her,
parading in identical clothes!
Based on the true story
of the Von Trapps, the movie
gives us many glimpses –
of life in a convent, Life in
Nazi-Austria, love and relation-
ships and more- all set to a
musical mood!
‘Confidence in me’ with a pep-
py Julie and the spectacular all-
time “Do-Re-Mi,” which is more
than just a song – it is time-lapse
with a captivating conclusion!
‘These are a few of my fa-
vorite things’ is doable togeth-
er while ‘Sixteen going on Sev-
enteen’ was my favorite song
when … well... when I was Six-
teen going on Seventeen!! The
yodeling number, “The Lonely
Goatherd,” is delightful as the
puppet number and I love the
charming roundelay “Good
Night,” where the children
chant their farewells for the
evening and especially in the
climax! The nuns singing
‘what shall we do about Maria’
is cute!
Watch it today to under-
stand that music is beyond
language and borders and the
human spirit cannot be caged
and love knows no class…
ANITA HADA
anita.hada@firstindianews.com
T
AHMEDABAD, THURSDAY
DECEMBER 2, 2021
www.firstindia.co.in I www.firstindia.co.in/epaper/ I twitter.com/thefirstindia
facebook.com/thefirstindia I instagram.com/thefirstindia 09

10
ETC
F
A
C
E
O
F
T
H
E
D
A
Y
VISHNUPRIYA, ACTOR
LEO
JULY 24 - AUGUST 23
Someone close may pay
you a visit and brighten
your day .You will get the
opportunity to acquire new
property at a good price. Health may
become a concern. Think twice before
investing in anything big. A healthy is
likely to open up your mind to the
possibilities in your field at work.
LIBRA
SEPT 24 - OCTOBER 22
Praise of a family member
will make you proud.
Getting unwell due to
changing weather cannot
be ruled out. You may need to
monitor your finances closely. You
may win the day on the professional
front by your original ideas. Keep
options open on investment front.
ARIES
MAR 21 - APR 20
Joining an online exercise
routine will prove
beneficial. A new plot or
apartment can be acquired
by some.Be more assertive in dealing
with workplace issues, otherwise you
can be taken for granted by others.
Those trying to boost income may
figure out newer ways.
SAGITTARIUS
NOV 23 - DEC 22
You may find it difficult to
convince a family member
regarding something you
want to achieve. Clarity of
mind and retentive power will help you
forge ahead on the academic front.
Some of you can safely say goodbye to
depression, as positivity enters your
life once again.
GEMINI
MAY 21 - JUNE 21
It will be in your interest to
speed up a financial
transaction. Positive steps
should be taken to restore
health. You will come out with flying
colours in a competitive situation on
the academic front. Appreciation for
the work done on the professional
front is in the pipeline for some.
AQUARIUS
JAN 21 - FEB 19
A new health routine may
start giving health benefits
right away. You gel well with
a new acquaintance.
Opportunities to further your career
will come only if you make efforts.
Self-discipline may help you achieve
peak physical fitness. Financial scene is
likely to stabilise.
TAURUS
APR 21 - MAY 20
Taking up a regular fitness
routine will help you get
into shape. Your initiative
will help mend fences with
someone you were not in talking
terms. Academic pursuits will be
fruitful. Increase in household
expenditure is possible, so take all
steps to cut it down.
CAPRICORN
DEC 23 - JAN 20
Your performance may
leave you feeling good
today on professional or
academic front. A diet plan
adopted recently will suit your
system well. Maintain confidentiality
regarding a property deal being
negotiated by you. A chance for an
outing with lover finally arrives.
VIRGO
AUG 24 - SEP 23
Do not misunderstand the
motives of someone trying
to help you. A friendly bet
with a friend or a colleague
may turn into a fight, so be careful.
Will power, will be your key to remain
in shape. An exciting time lies ahead
as travelling with friends is foreseen.
You are set to grow professionally.
CANCER
JUNE 22 - JULY 23
Your efforts at work will be
richly rewarded by getting
noticed by those who
matter. Getting quality time
at home will help in focussing on
activities that appeal to you. A
balanced diet will be the first step in
achieving good health, so stick to it.
Help people out as much as you can.
PISCES
FEB20 - MARCH 20
Things may move
favourably on the
professional front. Health
may become a concern.
You will need to muster all your
persuasive powers to swing a deal in
your favour. Good negotiating skills
may bring a lucrative deal within your
grasp on the professional front.
SCORPIO
OCT 23 - NOVEMBER 22
You may feel the home
environment serene. There
is a fair chance of some
property getting allotted to
you. Good opportunities are likely to
appear on the academic front. Good
health is assured through own
efforts. A healthy bank balance will
allow you to buy a major item.
YOUR
DAY
Horoscope by
Saurabbh Sachdeva
EF’s 2020 Global
Gender Gap Index
figures indicate that
just 25% of women
formally engage in
India’s labour mar-
ket, compared with
82% of men. This is one of
the lowest workforce partici-
pation rates in the world for
women, ranking India 145th
out of 153 countries. Is it a
coincidence?
In our country where near-
ly half of the population is
female, the contribution of
the female workforce in the
total GDP is only 17 per cent
which is one of the lowest in
the world. This is not satisfac-
tory as well.
Despite so many women
empowerment programs,
women leaders are rarely
seen. Their number is far
lesser than men. Today, wom-
en are educated and prefer
financial independence,
which is good for them, their
families, and also for the
growth and development of
the whole nation. There is
another side of this story too.
Working and going outside
requires a lot of sacrifice for
a woman. Sometimes she has
to leave her family and go to
other places for establishing
her career. It is very difficult
for a woman to stay away
from her family, leaving be-
hind all her duties and re-
sponsibilities, especially her
children. Women are natural
caregivers.
They aren’t involved in
any competition with men
for equal status in a patriar-
chal society. They need spe-
cial care and support. A
woman is the foundation of a
family. If she is disturbed
then the whole family gets
disturbed. A working woman
rarely gets the full support of
her family and this society
. In
such a case, she and her chil-
dren are worst affected.
As per article 3 of our consti-
tution - Children’s interests
should be at the forefront
of all decisions that affect
them in every situation.
Children are the future of
our country
.
Women are not equal to
men, they are much more
than this baseless compari-
son. They are entrusted with
a highly significant duty and
powerful mission in life-
motherhood. Men and wom-
en are genetically different.
Not only genetically but they
are different biologically,
mentally, emotionally, physi-
ologically, and psychologi-
cally
. Both genders are equal-
ly important and play a sig-
nificant role in the growth
and development of our so-
cial-economic structure. Of-
ten the needs of women are
underestimated and remain
unfulfilled. If a woman is in
a positive state of mind then
only future generations will
be healthier, physically, men-
tally, and emotionally. A
woman is a foundation for
the formulation of sensible
society
. In our culture, we put
mother as equivalent to God.
If we continue exploiting
women, we are paving the
path of destruction, by mak-
ing the entire generation ab-
normal, unhealthy, and dys-
functional.
The policies and infra-
structure at present are not
conducive for a woman to
grow and perform her full
potential. It’s a social mental-
ity of underestimating the
need of women. They carry
the burden of being a woman
in a harsh society where
their needs are never consid-
ered important.
Policies in favour of the
working women should be
formulated along with pro-
viding her adequate infra-
structure. We need this para-
digm shift towards women.
Positive changes must be in-
troduced to improve the pre-
sent position of women in
our society. We can bring
positive changes if we are de-
termined for our progress
and growth. Remember- A
person with courage is a ma-
jority. This change is not
about gender equality. This
change is not about taking
advantage of being a woman.
This change is not to chal-
lenge someone’s decision.
This change is all about
strengthening the roots of a
woman in society so that she
can get what she deserves. A
woman is the foundation of a
house. She makes innumer-
able sacrifices for the sake of
her family and society. This
change is all about minimiz-
ing her obstacles so that she
can grow in her career as
well as take care of her fam-
ily and children.
The need is to understand
women and provide them
full support. Her family can
support her with their un-
conditional love. Our society
can support her by provid-
ing a healthy and unbiased
atmosphere to grow and de-
velop. The government can
support her by formulating
women-centric policies and
proper infrastructure for
her to spread her wings and
soar high.
W
ESHITA SINGH
MANAGER, STATE BANK OF INDIA

ix Senses Fort
Barwara, which
is known for its
regal ambience,
situated in Sawai
Madhopur, Ra-
jasthan, is com-
pletely sold out around
the dates of Katrina Kaif
and Vicky Kaushal’s ru-
moured wedding.
As per several re-
ports, Katrina and
Vicky, fondly called Vi-
Kat by their fans, are set
to tie the knot, probably
at the royal property. The lavish
wedding festivities are
speculated to take
place from Decem-
ber 7 to 9. The hotel
seems to be com-
pletely sold out.
This is particularly
interesting given
the dates are coin-
ciding with Katrina
and Vicky’s ru-
moured marriage.
Their romance ru-
mours began after
Katrina, in an episode
of ‘Koffee with Karan’,
said that she would like
to work with Vicky and
they would look good to-
gether. On hearing this,
Vicky was completely flat-
tered and made a gesture
of fainting. As per a lot of
recent reports, the duo has
asked the wedding guests to
sign an NDA and not click
any pictures of the ceremony.
—ANI
S
B
ollywood diva
Nora Fatehi
is all geared
to set the
stage on fire at
VidCon Abu Dha-
bi, joining inter-
national sensa-
tions including sing-
er Nick Jonas and Ke-
hlani. Bringing her sass
and style to the internation-
al event, the ‘Dilbar’ star will
perform on some of her most
popular chartbusters. Earlier,
representing Bollywood at the
global level, Nora created his-
tory with her iconic perfor-
mance at the L’Olympia Bruno
Coquatrix in Paris, presenting a
fusion of Arabic and Indian dance
and singing performances. She is
currently the only Bollywood celeb-
rity among Supercar Blonde, Ana-
sala family, Noor Stars, Sean Does-
magic and others to be attending the
event. —Agency
F
ans are convinced that the
newest baby mama in Hol-
lywood is Rihanna! The pop
icon, singer, Fenty founder
and actress recently made
headlines when she received
an honour from her home
country Barbados; As the
nation became republic
this week, the singer was
awarded the title--Nation-
al Hero, for the special
occasion, Riri opted for
a shiny yellow ochre
evening gown which
was well-fitting
around the waistline
but made space for
what seemed to
be a baby
bump!
While it is
all purely
speculation
at this
p o i n t ,
f a n s
couldn’t
resist get-
ting up
close and
personal to
e x a m i n e
w h e t h e r
the bil-
lionaire is
a c t u a l l y
with child!
If claims
are to be
believed,
the singer
is current-
ly preg-
nant with
her long-
time boy-
friend rap-
per A$AP
R o c k y ’ s
child.
—Agency
Baby bells for
Rihanna?
S
elena Gomez re-
cently slammed
some TikTok
users after they
commented on the
singer’s latest up-
load. Gomez recent-
ly shared a TikTok
which showed her
reaction to Dr. Dawn
Bantel’s explana-
tion of “heavy drink-
ing.” In the clip, the
doctor explained,
“The CDC defines
heavy drinking as 15 or
more drinks a week for
men,” to which Gomez re-
plied with raised eyebrows
and joked: “And 8 or more
drinks per week for wom-
en.”
One user on the video-
sharing platform did not
find it so funny, comment-
ing, “So one of your best
friends gives you her kid-
ney and you continue to
drink excessively. Damn
Selena.” The Rare singer
immediately shut down
the commenter and
said: “It was a joke
a**.” After Sele-
na’s clarification,
the user deleted
their comment.
Gomez re-
ceived a kid-
ney trans-
plant from
her friend as
she battled
Lupus.
—Agency
ETC
11
WEDDING
WEDDING
RUMOURS
RUMOURS
AARYA IS BACK!
CITY FIRST
A
fter emerg-
ing as one of
the most
g r i p p i n g
thrillers from India
with an Internation-
al Emmy nomination
for best drama se-
ries, Aarya is set to
hit the digital scene
with Season 2. What makes it one of the most an-
ticipated OTT series is that its trailer is rife with
surprising twists. The key question its trailer
raised is – ‘Can Aarya Sareen escape her past, or
will her own family betray her, yet again?’ Disney+
Hotstar, Endemol Shine India and Ram Madhvani
Films are ecstatic to offer Aarya Season 2, starring
Sushmita Sen in the role of an unwilling outlaw.
Of love joy...
B
ollywood actor Vineet Kumar Singh has
married his long-time girlfriend Ruchiraa
Gormaray in an intimate ceremony. The
wedding date on the caption he shared on
his Instagram account reads 29/11/2021. He shared
some gorgeous pictures from his wedding and even
shared a caption to thank people for their love and
blessings. He wrote- “29/11/2021. Holding your
hand I came so far. Feeling truly blessed to have
you in my life! @ruchiraagormaray. Thank you
everyone for your love and blessing.” Celebrities
like Gulshan Devaiah, Aahana Kumra, Sobhita
Dhulipala extended comments. Gulshan wrote-
“Var Vadhu ko meri shubkaamnayein!! Happy
marriedlife”,Aahanastated-“Vineeetttt!Ruch!!!!!!!
Congrats both of you!!!”, and this is what Sobhita
had to say- “This is so heartwarming to see..con-
gratulations you beautiful souls!” —Agency
Singer Adnan
Sami with
his wife Roya
Faryabi and
daughter were
spotted in the
Pink City on
Wednesday.
Actors Johnny
Lever and Aly
Goni have also
been creating
buzz in the town.
—PHOTOS BY
MUKESH
KIRADOO
Selena slams trolls
STAR-STUDDED JAIPUR
Joining
Joining the
the
Jo Bros
Jo Bros
Katrina Kaif
Vicky
Kaushal
Selena Gomez Rihanna
Nora Fatehi
Ram Madhvani and Sushmita Sen
Vineet Kumar Singh Ruchiraa Gormaray
Gajraj Rao’s IG story

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